


5 times Tim Drake initiated pack heat

by felicialovescats



Category: Batman - All Media Types
Genre: Alpha Bruce Wayne, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Angry Jason in the third chapter, Bad Parents Jack and Janet Drake, Bringing Jason back into the family, Bruce Wayne is a Good Parent, Bruce as pack alpha, Gen, Hurt and comfort, Omega Dick Grayson, Omega Tim Drake, Pack heat, Sick Tim Drake, Tim Drake-centric, comfort in the later part of the story tho, family as pack
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-22
Updated: 2020-12-26
Packaged: 2021-03-11 02:54:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 13,893
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28238061
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/felicialovescats/pseuds/felicialovescats
Summary: “Omegas under specific circumstances will undergo what is known as pack heat, whereby instead of being sexual in nature (like normal heat), it’s the omega calling their whole pack in for comfort. The omega’s pack will be urged by their instinct to take care of the omega, such as cuddles and skin-ship, or food and the likes. There were no reports on how the omega will fare if no pack members approach due to pack heats being rare. All reported pack heats were fulfilled – the omega was comforted to the pack member’s best abilities.”OrTim didn't know what pack heats are, at first. Then later, he hated them. But in the end, it managed to bring him good things, like a pack who actually cares about him enough to answer his calls.
Comments: 20
Kudos: 714
Collections: Gen Batfam ABO





	1. The First

Dr. Cecilia Erhart in _Pack Heat: Things you need to know about your pack omega_

_“Omegas under specific circumstances will undergo what is known as pack heat, whereby instead of being sexual in nature (like normal heat), it’s the omega calling their whole pack in for comfort. The omega’s pack will be urged by their instinct to take care of the omega, such as cuddles and skin-ship, or food and the likes._

_However, pack heat will usually only occur under significant stress. For instance, if pack members are having disputes and violent arguments, the omega in the pack may undergo pack heat unintentionally to distract the pack members, inciting their unanimous interest in taking care of the omega, thereby hopefully solve any dispute within the pack. Essentially, the goal of having pack heat is to both calm and unify the pack, and gather comfort for the omega members of the pack._

_It was reported that the omega’s pack can feel the call from continents away, but the further the pack member is from the omega, the weaker the call. Those that are within close proximity are reported to be unable to prevent their approach towards the omega, no matter where or what they were doing. Some reported the heart-wrenching cries induced rage (not towards the omega) or tears, depending on their bond towards the omega._

_There were no reports on how the omega will fare if no pack members approach due to pack heats being rare. All reported pack heats were fulfilled – the omega was comforted to the pack member’s best abilities.”_

_If the omega’s partner is considered by the omega as pack, there would be the complex heat whereby it is both sexual and non-sexual in nature depending on the individuals around the omega. One awkward situation that may arise is when the omega simultaneously needs a knot from their partner while needing skin contact with one of their pack members._

\--

** First **

Tim remembered his first heat. His presentation heat. Usually undergone by children from age 12 to 18, the body of omegas will start to mature, producing pheromones and hormones important for their growth. It is similar to the presentation rut of alphas. It’s the way of their body starting to shift and adapt to the increasing hormones.

The presentation heat is usually accompanied by discomfort in the lower tummy area and lower back due to the shifting of the organs to accommodate the growing uterus. Some may also have a headache, or a general discomfort throughout the body. Their scent glands will ache due to the gland producing pheromones for the first time. Which meant aching near the neck, wrist and groin.

Most young omegas will have their omega family member accompany them through the first heat. It only lasts for a few hours, and all omegas said that the pain is usually negligible. The presence of another omega (especially if you are close to them) will make it even better.

But the main problem of a presentation heat is the first release of pheromones. Even as the scent glands developed enough to release the pheromones, the olfactory glands (glands that detect the pheromones) are at the developing stage. The scent glands will go overboard in producing the young omega’s scent that it will overwhelm the omega if they go through presentation heat alone. Only the presence of another person, may it be omega, alpha or beta, so long as they are pack members, can help with the overabundance of first pheromones. The presence of trusted pack members and their own calming pheromones will smoothen the presentation heat.

If a normal presentation heat accompanied by at least one pack member last for a few hours, then a presentation heat undergone alone may take up to a day before all pain and symptoms die down.

Why does Tim know this so well? He had to. He, just like all male omegas, knew what secondary gender he will be. After all, the presence of an undeveloped uterus in a male’s body make it hard to doubt. Other combination of genders may have to wait for a presentation heat/rut, or the absence of them to determine their gender, but male omegas are lucky in the way that they knew what to expect.

Just like how Tim expected to go through his presentation heat alone.

There were no omegas in his pack. His parents had told him early on that they will not waste time accompanying him through something that should be gone through on his own. They, of course, knew the recommendation of having a pack member during a young one’s first presentation heat. But Jack and Janet Drake were both alphas. An alpha can go through a presentation rut alone just fine. So they did not understand why omegas should be different. Did not want to understand.

(Tim read that it’s because when humans were more animalistic than human, alphas can easily snatch a presenting young omega up, grab and mate them without a care. The pack thus must take care to protect the pack’s omegas, making it one of the evolutionary traits that their ancestors pass down to their offspring until _biologically_ omegas need the presence of pack members to go through their presentation heat smoothly.)

He first realised that he had to go through presentation heat when he, along with other ten-year olds were given compulsory sex education at school. Tim then went home, and he went seeking for his mother, who was coincidentally at home after months overseas. That was when she told him her opinions, and that she expected him to deal with it like the independent boy she knew he was.

At that age, Tim will do anything to be his parents’ good boy, so of course he promised. And he went on a research spree immediately.

By twelve, the youngest age for a child to present, he was prepared to deal with the situation at any time. He knew that it will take a while for the pain to really settle in, so he would definitely have time to return home if he felt uncomfortable. In his room, there’s a bedside cabinet that contained everything he would need, replaced with fresh ones every month. Food, bottled drinks, pain killers, heat pads.

So Tim can safely say that he was totally prepared, when he started having slight discomfort at his lower abdomen. His timing, though, needed a little improvement, because he was currently outside, looking for Batman and Robin. It was the middle of the night, and he was up on the roof, and quite a long run away from home. He managed, though, even as he was sad that he would miss the fight. There were reports of Riddler’s sighting, which was why Tim was out too.

Tim reached his room just in time for the first cramps to creep in at his stomach. He changed into his most comfortable clothes in record time and grabbed whatever he had in his cabinet onto his bed. Some of the bread that might not last, he ate. He finished one can of energy drink, and snuggled into his father’s jumper and his mother’s scarf that was also in the cabinet.

They didn’t smell like them anymore – their scent faded away months ago, and they didn’t return during this time for Tim to be able to get fresher ones. But still, they had a little tint of _pack_ in them, which should be enough.

Tim hoped it was enough.

He would like to say that it went fine, that everything went well. But, no. The presentation heat was terrible. Tim 100% would not recommend people to go through it alone like he did. There was really a reason why going through a presentation heat alone was not recommended.

The first few hours were fine. The pain was acceptable. He started feeling sad for himself when the pain started to spike. Feeling alone, and jealous of other omegas who get to have their pack with them.

He guessed that he could have secretly called Mrs. Mac, but he wasn’t sure if his mother will find out later, and he won’t be her good boy anymore. And he didn’t count Mrs. Mac as his pack anyway, so he didn’t think having her here will help.

Then the overwhelming scent he was learning to associate with _omega_ and _himself_ appeared, immediately overpowering his nose’s ability to deal with scent.

A strange feeling crept up towards his throat from his stomach. Tim was curled up on his side, hands pressing against his stomach as if that would make him feel better (it did not). The feeling made him frown, and he tried to open his mouth and cough.

The high-pitched keening took him by surprise. Tim tried to stop himself, but he could not. It was embarrassingly whinny, like some spoiled child asking for more toys. It screamed _pay attention to me, I need attention!_ And Tim had never scream or said that in his whole life.

He guessed it was true, what his mother had told him. Heats and ruts like this really make a person more animalistic, uncontrollable. Shameful.

An embarrassment.

Tim bit the pillows so he wouldn’t make that pathetic sound anymore. And it seemed to work, although tears started instead. Tim figured tears were better than the sound – no one was in the room to see him cry, but anyone near can hear him and his stupid noise.

He didn’t even know why or what he was calling for. A pack member? Stupid. He only had two pack members, and both of them were not here. No matter how loud he called, they won’t come back. They can’t even hear him, and even if they can hear him they won’t come back.

Other omegas have pack members there to protect them when they are vulnerable and in need. Tim had no one to protect him but himself.

The rest of the night blurred into a mixture of pain, crying and blessed unconsciousness.

_It was only months later when his parents returned that Tim found out they actually heard his keening. His mother had asked him about his presentation heat (the scent that he released automatically now was obvious), and Tim gave her the date that he had it. Janet frowned, lost in thoughts. When Tim asked, she told him it was not a surprise, because she and Jack had a moment when they were at the dig site that they looked at each other and just_ know _that someone was calling them. But it was only a short while, so they didn’t give it much thought._

 _Tim didn’t know which hurt more – that his parents hadn’t known, or that his parents_ had _known, but didn’t bother to even call for an update. It only occurred for her to ask months later._

_He decided it will hurt the least if he just forgot about it, so this incident was buried deep into his mind._

_(At that time, he didn’t know anything about pack heat. He just thought that the calling for one’s pack only happened during a presentation heat)._

\--


	2. The Second

** Second  **

Tim went on with life, taking the pills that all omegas take – heat suppressants and scent masking pills. Those were typical for young omegas, and as they get older they have the choice to choose to go off meds, or not. The recommended age to go off meds are around 18, but not longer than 22 years old. Omegas need to have a working heat cycle to ensure their health and fertility.

So after the presentation heat, Tim never had a heat again. Which was fine by him, the pain, the shame, the embarrassment? Not worth it. Besides, he had much more serious things to worry about – Batman’s increasing violence due to the death of his Robin. So that’s what he focused on.

After all’s said and done, Tim finally got Batman to acknowledge him as Robin. Due to his parents being gone, Bruce also managed to convince him to stay with him at the Wayne Manor every time his parents were not available, and Tim took him up for that. Alfred’s food was to die for.

He also bonded pretty well with Dick Grayson, who was an omega and a police officer. They spent one night at the manor having an omega’s night. Which just included a lot of snuggling (from Dick) and a lot of question asking (from Tim). From the elder ex-Robin Tim figured out a better way to work with Batman, and with Bruce.

The first Robin was the one who gave Tim the idea that omegas can do things that normally society won’t encourage them to do. All Robins have top quality scent blockers that ensured no one will be able to smell them, thus unable to identify their secondary gender. Even though both Dick and Jason started out as unpresented pups, they had their presentation heat and rut a while later after they took the mantle of Robin. And still no one could be sure of their secondary gender.

So Tim wasn’t the first omega Robin, which made him felt better about himself. And he really enjoyed the time with the Waynes. They were better company than his classmates. Tim could count on the fact that he can find and have their attention with just a simple request or phone call. If he wanted to train, Bruce was always willing to train with him. If he needed help with homework, or just need to have some company while he pulled his hair with math, Bruce would be at his office or the library. If he needed some time out, Dick comes by during the weekends, and they go out for a drive. If he needed some calming time, Alfred could be counted on either being in the kitchen, or having tea, and Tim was always welcomed to join him.

 ~~Having a family~~ Having people you can trust was amazing.

Tim imagined a great future where he could be happy, when something happened that was a sign from God that no, he did not deserve to be happy.

It started with just a feeling. It was a normal day where Tim came home from school and was in the dining room, doing homework. That was something that he relished in doing, because he wasn’t allowed to when he was in the Drake manor. The dining room was for dining only. But Alfred had given him a look and left to brew tea for him. So Tim was here, enjoying something that his parents would never let him do.

There was a feeling of something breaking, a twine or a rope. A line, disconnecting him with _packfamilyalpha._

Tim blinked once, twice. He put his pen down, and pressed his hand against his chest. Something’s not…right. But he wasn’t sure what. Shrugging it off because it wasn’t life-threatening, and his homework still needed to be done, Tim turned his attention back to his work. This was a crucial skill all Robins, or rather all vigilantes would have learned during their time out in the streets. Compartmentalize, and prioritize.

Being Robin while still attending school, as well as working on cold cases Bruce liked to give him, meant that Tim learned to compartmentalize, to prioritize. He would briefly regret this learned skill when he figured what happened.

But that feeling didn’t disappear. It lasted even until the night, where Bruce decided on training instead of his usual patrol.

This ended up in Tim being so distracted that he was thrown on the floor thrice due to his own mistakes and inattention. Bruce’s disappointment ( _“We’re done for the day. Get your head together, and we’ll train again tomorrow.”_ ) wasn’t even enough to make him feel worse – he _was_ at his worst. A sharp nod, and Tim headed to the showers.

_(That was what made Bruce realized that something was up with his newest family member. Tim always made sure to be at his best in everything that he does, but especially with what he was doing with Bruce. Bruce suspected that it was his upbringing that led the young one to be so desperate to please. Even after vigorous training, Tim would dawdle and linger, hopeful eyes cast onto Bruce to see if he wanted another match._

_So him accepting the end of training was unusual. Very unusual indeed.)_

Tim went to bed immediately after the shower. The pain had spread from his chest to his whole body. The ache, the soreness that was not similar to ones he usually encountered after training.

He wrapped himself with blankets, not knowing how to make it better. Something on his chair caught his eye – a plush elephant, Zitka. Dick lend it to him, asking him to give Zitka hugs while he wasn’t here. Quick steps brought him to the plush, and he dragged it to bed with him.

Zitka smelled of Dick, and his slight omega pheromones. The boy had deemed himself a grown man and had gone without heat suppressants and scent blockers when he moved to Blüdhaven. But it also retained some scent of the pack’s alphas, Alfred and Bruce, when they held it during the transfer from Dick’s room to Tim’s.

While burying his nose to the plush, he eyed the bedside cabinet. He didn’t mean to, but there’s a T-shirt and a handkerchief in one of the drawers, belonging to Bruce and Alfred respectively. After a moment of contemplation, he retrieved those items too, wearing the shirt, tying the handkerchief around Zitka’s neck.

Tim was quite sure that Alfred, if not Bruce, had noticed their disappearance since they had been there for a week. Well, they might notice the general disappearance of their belongings, which appeared back in the laundry after a week or so. He maintained his habit of nicking items that had the scent of his pack, and _wow he thought of them as pack._

There’s ringing, near his bedside. Tim blinked the sleep away, he didn’t know when he fell asleep. The ringing was from his phone, and he reached for it.

The pain in his chest was worse. It felt like he was trying to reach for something that he cannot touch anymore. He didn’t know if it was because he was trying to reach for his phone that was too far away, or it was something else. But he got himself up, and finally managed to grab the phone. While he was struggling, the ringing stopped, but when he touched the phone, it resumed ringing. A quick glance told Tim that it was the middle of the night. He had slept for a few hours already.

Was he that tired?

The call was from an unknown number. But he picked up anyway.

‘Mister Drake? Timothy Drake?’ A lady, with a gentle tone, and Tim thought _oh. I’ve seen this in the movies._

‘Yes, I’m him. Who… who’s this?’

‘I’m Samantha Grills, from the Hospital of Caribbean. I regret to inform you that your mother, Janet Drake had died.’

The rest of the conversation was a blur. Tim found out that his parents, who went to the Caribbean for a legit holiday instead of work, were emitted to the hospital an hour ago, both unconscious. His mother could not be resuscitated after a seizure, and had passed, while his father was in a coma. Their blood results revealed that they both had suffered from poisoning.

He agreed to have someone sent to the hospital to retrieve any personal items, as well as to discuss with the doctor about his father’s condition.

_The scratch at his throat, the feeling of something creeping from his stomach to his throat was familiar, and he gritted his teeth, clenched his jaw, did whatever he could not to vocalize any distressed sounds. He was to be professional, he needed to be professional to deal with his mother’s death._

_His mother’s death._

‘I’m very sorry for your loss.’ The lady said in the end and hung up.

And just like that, he understood what he was feeling the entire day. The poison must have been slow-acting, for it to have effects on them, and transferring those effects through Tim’s pack bond with his parents, earlier in the day. His parents had been slowly dying, and Tim was so stupid that he didn’t realise. If he had known that the feeling was connected to his parents, he would have called them, or asked about them. Maybe they would have survived, if they were treated earlier.

Tim should have known; that was what the bond is for. To let the pack know that something was wrong with one of their members. But what’s the use of that if the pack member didn’t know what was happening? What if the member was stupid like him?

Gods, he even continued with his homework like there’s nothing wrong. Like his homework was more important than _his parents’ death._

What kind of pack member was he? What kind of _son_ was he?

_My mother is dead. My father is in a coma. I didn’t even get to say goodbye. My last conversation with them was weeks ago. I last saw them months ago._

The itch and dryness of his throat told him that he had been vocalizing his distress for a while. Even though he didn’t want to do that, he couldn’t stop his own whimpering. His call for his pack, asking for comfort.

There were so many questions that Tim would have asked if he was in the right state of mind. Things like _isn’t this supposed to only happen one time? When I was during my presentation heat alone? That’s why I was calling for pack. But I don’t need it now, right? I have no more pack – my alphas are dead._

But his subconscious mind wasn’t on the same page, because he kept calling out for his pack, even though Tim knew they were gone.

Bruce, being Bruce, didn’t do anything even though he knew there was something wrong with his new ward. One, it’s because he was an emotionally handicapped man (coined by Dick, when they were having one of their fights). Two, he thought he wasn’t in a position that had the rights. He wasn’t Tim’s father, he wasn’t his anything, really. He’s just the man that had let a _child_ join him in crime-fighting, so obviously he was not a responsible adult. But also, the boy had his own parents, as bad as they were, and Bruce didn’t want to give the misunderstanding that he wanted to replace Jack and Janet Drake in being Tim’s alphas and parents.

So no, he resumed his normal activities after the training. Dick was in Blüdhaven as it was the weekdays, and he was still up at his computer dealing with paperwork. Alfred was bustling around the house, doing whatever he usually did at this time.

When all of a sudden, he felt something in his chest. An ache? He couldn’t describe it, but he had felt it before. It was when a member of his pack was needing help. It had been a while since he felt it, since Jason. But he’d never mistaken this feeling. It was a lot stronger than he remembered, but that didn’t matter. Someone in his pack needs him. Bruce stood up immediately and rushed to the door. He’s going through his pack members one by one, starting with his oldest friend and father figure.

‘Alfred?!’ He yelled through the opened door, but his hands were already typing a text for Dick. A simple “how are you?” would suffice, because either the man will reply to the text, which meant that he was fine, or the man will call back, which meant that he was fine, or neither of those, which meant that he was _not_ fine.

The old Alpha appeared in the hallway with furrowed brows. ‘It was not I who need you.’ He said. ‘Have you checked on Master Dick? And Miss Gordon?’

His children, whom both of them viewed as their pack. ‘You felt it too?’

Before Alfred could reply, Bruce’s phone rang. It was Dick.

‘I shall contact Miss Gordon then.’ Alfred said, and went off with his own phone.

Bruce picked up.

‘Bruce, why the fuck do I feel like I’m dying, or like there’s someone literally grabbing my heart and twisting it?’ Dick demanded the minute the call connected. ‘I think I’ve felt this before, but then I’m not sure, because it sure as hell wasn’t this bad before.’

Bruce muttered senseless words, trying to calm him down, when Alfred came back in the room with a shaking of his head.

‘Miss Gordon is safely in her apartment.’

Which was both good news and bad, because there’s only one person left that Bruce thought of as pack, and he should have been safe in bed too.

‘Tim.’ Both Alphas claimed, and at once they set out towards Tim’s bedroom. ‘Dick, I’ll call you later if we need anything. I have to check up on Tim.’ Extracting a promise that he _will_ call back, Dick ended the call.

Honestly, it wasn’t Bruce’s fault that he didn’t think of Tim first. The boy was not a troublemaker, and he seemed unwell enough tonight that he would have slept early. Bruce had assumed that he would be safe in bed, unlike Dick who was a city away, and might be out patrolling. Barbara was also part of his pack via Dick, and since she was not in the house with him, he would have thought of her first before the presumably safe boy at home.

But when Bruce and Alfred approached Tim’s room, it was clear that it _was_ Tim. The scent of a distressed omega was something that Bruce scented commonly – the usual criminals target the weaker groups, and that includes females, the elderly, and the omegas.

It was already worrying enough that Tim was the one that triggered the whole pack into over-protective mode. That it was _Tim,_ the young boy who was always calm, who had contingency plans for his contingency plans. What could have caused him such stress?

Before they could open the door though, a sound suddenly came from behind the doors, and Bruce could feel his heart breaking. It was a helpless whine, a usual sound coming from scared pups, not just omega. A sound signifying to their family that they need help and comfort. But it wasn’t just the sound pulling at his heartstrings. It was entirely something else, something much stronger.

Bruce had never felt this before. But it was like something clicked in his mind – he knew exactly what to do.

He burst into the room, knowing exactly where to go. A rumble from his throat, aiming to be comforting towards the child in bed. He slid into Tim’s bed, grabbing his young pup and pulling him into his arms. He made sure to have Tim’s nose at his neck, where his scent would be the strongest. At Tim’s other side, Alfred was sitting in the bed, his hand rubbing at the pup’s back, hair, neck, anywhere he could reach.

Bruce would have started asking questions and demanding answers, but the sobbing was all of a sudden much louder, breaking his heart. So the only thing he could do was to make comforting noises, trying to calm his pup down.

That was when he noticed the scent. It was both familiar and unfamiliar – he had scented it before from Dick, but it was a little different. He caught Alfred’s eye and raised an eyebrow in question. The older Alpha only nodded – he, too, had noticed.

Tim was in heat. But not exactly.

Omegas going through heat release pheromones that excites and attracts sexual attention. But it was also specific enough that it will not cause much effect on family members, or those that the omega considers as family. So if it were Dick who was going through heat, Bruce and Alfred, being a part of his pack, would be able to scent and notice it without all the uncomfortable sexual attraction. Even though they were alphas, they were still able to take care of Dick like how parents would.

But this was not happening with Tim now. Instead, the two of them were more propelled to be with the young pup, Bruce practically burying Tim with his scent. It was definitely not based on sexual attraction though.

Bruce quickly pushed these thoughts and questions aside when the pup in his arms slowly calmed down. He rubbed his cheek against Tim anywhere he could reach, the way alphas normally do for pups.

When finally the sobs subsided, and Tim cleared his throat a little awkwardly.

And of course, the first thing his pup did was to apologize.

‘You have nothing to apologize for.’ Bruce rumbled, and Alfred murmured his agreement. ‘But I need to know what happened so I can fix it.’

To his horror, that triggered another bout of tears.

‘You- you can’t! You can’t fix this!’ Tim managed to say between sniffling and gasps. ‘You’re too late! _I_ was too late! I didn’t even know! I knew, but I didn’t _know!’_

It took another long while before Bruce could calm his pup down again. By this time Alfred had looked through most of the things in Tim’s room, hoping to give them some clue. But there was nothing particularly different, other than the phone beside the bed. Normally they would respect each other’s privacy, and not look through personal items.

However, Tim was still alright when he excused himself to go to bed. At least, not as bad as he was now. This could only mean that whatever that happened that had led him to be so distraught must have happened when he was here in his room. And since there was nothing out of the ordinary in the room, there’s only one way something could happen, and it’s through the phone.

Alfred handed the phone to Bruce, and after unlocking it with Tim’s fingerprint (Tim’s cries were already subsiding again, and with hitches in his breathing, Tim quietly watched Bruce, not stopping him) Bruce saw that there was indeed a phone call that Tim had received a while ago.

‘Tim?’ The number seemed to be from another country, but Bruce would need to look into it via a computer before he could be sure. The fastest way to know what happen, was to ask Tim, unfortunately.

‘Some… someone from the hospital in Caribbean called. My… My mother’s dead, and my dad is in a coma.’

_Oh._

The death of a family member can cause what’s known as bond-break sickness. It definitely explained why Tim was so listless today.

In his heart Bruce was enraged by how the staff at the hospital had told the news. They didn’t even think about how the only son, the remaining one in the Drake’s pack, someone who was barely a teen, would deal with the loss of his parents. But at the same time, Tim was the only one they _could_ contact.

If Bruce had done what he had wanted to do, which was to bring Tim under his care, into his pack through the legal ways (he had plans, that would have happened when the Drakes returned, but never did he even think about them not being able to return), then his number would have been the one that the hospital staffs called. He would have been the one to receive the news, and he would have been the one to break it to the child gently.

Instead, Tim had been alone when he knew, and had tried to call for his pack. He was probably calling for Janet and Jack Drake, but apparently in Tim’s mind Bruce and everyone here was considered pack too. Not to mention the heat-like pheromones that Tim was releasing in bouts.

_Okay, focus. One thing at a time._

Before Bruce could really decide on what to do, the distressed cries of an omega were heard, soft due to distance rather than anything else. The only omega present here was Tim, and he had buried his face into the crook of Bruce’s neck, the only noises he made were the tail of a good cry.

The rushed footsteps brought them Dick, who seemed like he had run the whole way from Blüdhaven to Gotham. He took a moment to take in the situation in Tim’s room – Bruce having Tim in his arms, Alfred beside them with a comforting hand on Tim’s back – and immediately knew what had brought him here in Gotham.

‘Oh Tim…’ The older omega moved and dropped himself gracelessly into the pile. He plastered himself onto Tim’s back, rubbing his cheek against Tim’s, oozing his comforting scent. ‘Hi baby… you’re okay, it’s okay, we’re here with you now…’

Seeing that Dick was having it covered, Bruce tried to remove himself from the tangled limbs, but he couldn’t. Not only because Tim tightened his grip on Bruce’s clothes, there’s also something in him that didn’t want to leave his little omega pup alone. On the other side, Alfred slowly retrieved his hand from where it was squashed between Tim and Dick, and stood up. Different from Bruce, it seemed that Alfred was still able to extract himself from the pile. Most probably due to Bruce being the pack Alpha.

Bruce knew he had a lot of things to do in this situation. He needed to deal with Tim’s parents - to have Janet’s body shipped home to be cremated or buried as according to her will or Tim’s wishes; as well as to bring Jack home and find him good quality care. He also needed to do some PR work, because sooner or later the reporters were going to find out, and there would be so much harassment that he will never let Tim deal with. There was also the current situation with Tim, where he was going to go, and who will be taking care of the young, underaged omega.

Bruce will fight anyone, and do anything, to have this omega pup in his pack.

A gentle touch on his shoulder brought his attention back to the present, where Alfred was now beside him.

‘I shall bring your laptop in a few seconds, Master Bruce.’

Bruce nodded. Good old Alfred, knowing exactly what he needed.

The presence of Dick here seemed to make Tim feel so much better. The soft keens were almost gone, which was a good thing because those keens were the ones tugging at everyone’s heartstrings. When Alfred came back, Tim was slowly falling to sleep.

They rearranged themselves so that Bruce had some space for him to work on his laptop. Tim was sandwiched between Bruce and Dick, with his face buried at Bruce’s side, and Dick’s cuddling him almost aggressively. Bruce immediately got to work, sending emails to a lot of people.

He would have to call people too, but he decided to leave that for tomorrow morning. Early morning, probably at 6 AM.

It’s definitely not because he still cannot bring himself to leave Tim, even with Dick there. And it was clear that the other alpha in the family was thinking the same, because Alfred came back to Tim’s room again, this time with some tea.

The pulling at his heart was already gone – it’s because he was right where he needed to be.

Tim first learned of the term pack heat the day after he initiated one in the manor. At that moment he was too distraught and stressed to think about why Bruce, Alfred, and Dick would come to his room and give him the comfort that he didn’t know he needed. He appreciated it, of course, but it wasn’t normal. Especially for Bruce.

While he was still groggy, the next morning, woken up by soft noises near him, he heard Bruce talking to Dick.

It didn’t even occur to him that Dick was here from Blüdhaven, like, a whole city away. But he was definitely glad that his elder brother/mentor was here with him.

‘So exactly what happened? I mean, I know that sometimes if they are very close, pack members can sort of know when others are stressed or anything, but I don’t think we’re close enough for that to happen.’ Dick was saying.

Tim was still in Dick’s arms, and even though he had his eyes closed, the constant rise and fall of his pillow meant that his pillow was either Dick or Bruce, and judging from where Dick’s voice came from, Tim bet it was Bruce.

It’s very nice, to spend time and have contact with his pack alpha- _no. Bruce is not your pack alpha yet. And your pack alpha had just died, remember?_

Bruce was speaking softly as he didn’t want to wake Tim up. ‘-up something called pack heat? It’s similar to normal heats, but instead of wanting to procreate, it’s just the omega wanting comfort from their pack.’

‘Which is why I could feel Tim, even when I’m in Blüdhaven?’

‘There isn’t many studies done on this, but they did mention that the range was quite far.’

‘… I called out my parents before, when I was in Gotham and they were halfway across the world. They told me that they could feel my call.’

He spoke, a little hoarse due to the dryness of his throat.

‘Timmy! You’re awake!!’ A flutter of limbs occurred while Tim was transferred to Dick’s arms instead of Bruce’s. His pack alpha was reaching to the bedside table, where a bottle of water was located. Tim slowly sat up and drank the water he was given.

Bruce sat down, a little closer to Tim than he would usually.

‘What is it, the pack heat?’

Bruce explained what he had read about pack heat. Apparently, it was something very rare that happens to some omegas when they are stressed and in need of their pack’s help. But most omegas go through life without ever initiating pack heat.

‘It’s a call for pack, essentially. That’s why Dick could hear you even though he’s at Blüdhaven.’

Tim hummed, deep in thought. _That explained why his parents knew about his presentation heat. He was calling out for family… but they didn’t answer him. But Dick came almost immediately after he started calling._

_Does this pack heat make pack come to him? It couldn’t be, else his parents would have been compelled to come. Was Dick compelled to come? Or was he just being the usual good elder brother?_

Before he could muse about it longer, the calming scent and presence of his pack lulled him to sleep.


	3. The Third

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoops here comes angry Jason

** Third  **

It was a few years after that night where he got so distressed that he called his pack for a pack heat. Tim was, in retrospect, quite embarrassed about it, and he had decided to never speak about it again the next day. Bruce, Alfred and Dick were understanding, though, and they hadn’t mentioned it again either. Although, the few books that appeared in his bedroom were much appreciated.

He learnt about pack heat the way he did all other things that he was curious about – by crazily scour for any mention in any kind of writing, or documentation. Which was great, because there wasn’t much information on pack heats.

They were so rare that there were only 79 cases documented in the world. Adjusting for those that were not documented, it was still a very small percentage compared to the world population. However, at the same time pack heat was something that some communities had viewed as taboo to be spoken aloud.

Omegas initiation pack heat meant that the pack was clearly doing something wrong, or they were not taking care of the omega well enough. That was one of the main reasons most pack heats were initiated – the omega wasn’t given the attention they needed during their need, and so instead the omega was forced to initiate pack heat to get their pack to go to them.

Researchers don’t know what predisposes certain omegas to do that. It was plenty obvious that being in significant distress wasn’t the only trigger for pack heat initiation, or it would have been more frequent – numerous cases of omega abuse, trafficking, or the omegas suddenly being an orphan due to loss in the pack – those reasons were stressful enough. And some of the pack heats initiated were due to reasons like this (such as Tim’s loss of his parents). But not all omegas do that.

Some said that it could be genetic, or even just chances.

But that didn’t matter to Tim, not much. He didn’t need to know why he can initiate pack heat. He just needed to know that _if he did that, it would implicate that his pack didn’t take care of him, and he was in a vulnerable position enough to ask for comfort, of all things._

As Tim Drake, the young omega who had lost his parents (as his father was in a coma, that was counted as a loss too), and a lone omega who had inherited a multi-billion-dollar company, he could not show any sign of weakness. Having Bruce Wayne be his guardian until he was of age was a smart move – no one would be able to get Tim when he was part of Bruce’s pack. But still, by acting strong and not be the typical assumed archetype of an omega, he can convince others that he won’t be easily bought or swayed their way.

And of course, Batman didn’t need a weak partner. No one knew Batman and Robin’s secondary gender, because Bruce had taken painstaking effort to make scent-blockers in their armor. But the general public had all assumed that both of them were alphas. It was a good guess, with good reason – most alphas are inclined on dominance and violence, and Batman and Robin was definitely that. All newspapers and magazines had dubbed them the vigilante alpha duo, and when there was no response from the mentioned duo, they determined that they were right.

It was true for Batman – Bruce Wayne was as alpha as one could get. But Dick was an omega, and so was Tim. Jason was a budding alpha, only presenting as such a few months before he died.

So yes, there were a lot of reasons why Tim will never want to initiate pack heat again. Even though his two previous ones were involuntary. He never wants to be in that situation where his inner omega had decided to call out for pack.

That’s a sign of weakness, and that’s something he cannot afford in his life as Robin.

Until Jason came back.

Tim had his suspicions about the violent newcomer who wore his alpha scent like a shield of anger. The way he moved, the people he deemed necessary to kill. It was all confirmed when he was attacked, mere weeks after the newcomer’s arrival.

‘Replacement.’ The word was hissed out behind him, and before Tim could do anything he was grabbed from behind.

The following fight was so quick and vicious that it was all Tim could do to not get killed. The bruises were multiplying. He was still reconciling the fact that this violent alpha in front of him could be the kind sweet alpha Jason once was – and he was so distracted that Jason finally got the one-up against him.

The cut at his throat didn’t hurt as much as the wound in his soul when he realised that Jason, the Robin that he ~~loved~~ idolized the most, had wanted to kill him. But unlike the wound in his soul that would only slowly kill him inside, the wound on his neck can kill him within an hour.

Tim couldn’t concentrate on Jason long enough to listen to what he had to say, even though he was quite sure he could hear his voice. He was busy holding his neck at the cut, trying to stop the blood flow.

He didn’t know blood can feel so warm.

A blink, and suddenly Jason was nowhere to be found. Tim was alone on a rooftop, dying.

He keened.

For help, for family, for pack.

He whined.

For someone to come and help him. Come and save him. Come and protect him.

Tim lost track of time, but he was sure Batman arrived first. Because the last thing he remembered was seeing that black cape before he passed out. When he opened his eyes again, it was a little like déjà vu, back to when he had his pack heat in the Wayne manor.

Firm muscles at the back of his neck told him that it was most probably Bruce that he was using as a pillow, because Dick’s mussed up hair was in front of him, using _him_ as a pillow. He shifted, and immediately noticed the twinge at his neck. He could feel that there were bandages there.

He remembered Jason attacking him. And him calling for his pack, which explained his current situation. Inwardly he felt bad, because he had just broken a promise to himself. But one part of him was glad that he did so, because at this moment, he really needed his pack to be here with him.

‘Hey Timmyyy, you awake?’ Soft mutterings made him glance down, where Dick was blinking sleep away from his eyes and looking up at him.

‘Yeah.’ His reply was equally soft, and even that made him cough. His throat was dry, but Tim would bet money on the fact that if he drinks anything, it would hurt like hell.

His whole body shifted as Bruce tried to adjust his own position on the bed to sit up. Dick got up and grabbed a cup from the side. ‘I know it’s gonna hurt for a while, but try and get this down?’

Bruce rumbled in pleasure when Tim could actually manage to down the whole cup of water, the pain ignorable as the soothing feel of water made everything better.

‘Talk to us, what happened?’ Bruce said.

And so Tim did, telling them about Jason, now known as Red Hood. How he had baited him to be there, and attacked him. How he called him Replacement, as if Tim could even replace Jason, when he was just placeholder.

It was a short story, but Tim could still remember the warm flow of his blood onto his palms. The aches where Jason had managed to land punches. The hurt in his soul that Jason was now _like this,_ losing control and _furious at everything._ Jason who was now forever changed.

 _His_ Robin, alive yet dead at the same time.

Tim could feel Bruce tensing, and when soft touches didn’t bring him back, he let out a soft keen that swiftly got his pack alpha’s attention.

‘Hey, it’s okay Bruce. We’ll be able to fix this. There’s definitely some misunderstanding, but we’ll be able to fix this.’ Tim tried to purr, like how some omegas do to comfort other pack members. He didn’t quite do it (he never really did it before, okay, cut him some slack), but the attempt was enough to bring a soft smile to Bruce and Dick’s face.

Dick looked like he just saw the cutest cat ever, cooing over Tim. Bruce just scent-marked Tim by rubbing his cheek onto Tim’s hair.

And Tim truly believed that they, as a pack, could move past this, and maybe have Jason back.

But it would be a long while before that happened.


	4. The Fourth

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Merry Christmas everyone who celebrates and Happy Holidays to everyone else who doesn't.  
> Here's some angst. <3
> 
> TW: Usage of drugs to make someone unconscious, but the someone is actually himself.

** Fourth **

Tim could understand why Dick did what he did. Really. If he were in his shoes, Tim would have probably made similar decisions.

But nothing, nothing could ever soothe the pain he felt when he came back home, expecting welcome and warmth, only to see the person that hated his guts wearing Robin’s colours. Wearing _what was supposed to be his._

So yes, he freaked out. Screaming and yelling, he demanded the reason why Damian was wearing Robin’s costume, only for Dick to tell him that _he decided that Damian needed it more? That he wanted Tim to be more on equal footing with him?_ Fuck that!

Tim was speechless. He gaped at him, and turned to look at Damian, who had the guts to smirk at him, like _he’d won._

_But didn’t he? He finally found a way to usurp me from Robin, kicking Tim out of this pack when he, the newcomer, deemed me unworthy. Especially when Bruce, who seemed like the only one who wanted him in this pack was now gone._

And it was like gods above, or fate, or whatever was on Damian’s side. His father was dead, Stephanie, Connor, and Bart, everyone that he could count on to be on his side were all gone. His pack alpha was gone. Dick, whom he had thought he could rely on, decided to focus on the young alpha brat instead. And out there somewhere, Jason was busy trying to wreak havoc, making things harder for Dick.

As he said before, Tim could understand. Here was a young alpha unsure of his place in the new pack. He was recently abandoned by his old pack, and integrating into a new pack will take some time. When Bruce was gone, it was like everything that the older pack alpha had done was worthless, and Damian had to start from scratch. Dick, being the kindest and dearest person that he was, took him under his wing.

In Dick’s shoes, Damian was the more priority concern that he had, compared to Tim, older and better at dealing with problems. Dick probably thought he would be happy to leave the Robin’s mantle to Damian, and finding his own mask, like how Dick had done during his time.

The only mistake Dick made was not talking to Tim about it before he found out his decision. No, scratch that. He made two mistakes – one was to let Tim know through the brat’s pure smug that he was replaced, and two was not telling him beforehand, and explaining his thought process.

Because this? This was the ultimate betrayal from his elder brother that he did not expect.

_Oh who was he kidding? Tim should have known something like this would happen that day when he told Dick about his theories that Bruce was alive, but Dick dismissed his ideas and almost managed to get him sent to Arkham._

And so he left. If his pack didn’t want him, well, he didn’t need his pack anyway.

Now, if only his body could understand that. Because a few days later, when he was determinedly out of Gotham, the familiar burn in his heart, in his chest, took him by surprise.

His mind, when it realised what was going to happen, went to overdrive, even while his whole body froze in horror.

 _He could not afford to have a pack heat now. That would mean that he’s calling out for Alfred and Dick, who’ll know_ exactly _where he was. And he didn’t want that. Dick had cut him off the family, and threatened Arkham on him. If Dick found him, and Tim being in pack heat state meant he could not fight or deny Dick anything. The self-righteous asshole would then drag him back to Gotham, and it would be hell to escape again, not when time was of the essence._

He needed to stop this pack heat _immediately_ , or barring that, at least stop himself from calling out to his pack.

_Lord knows the only person he needed right now, was gone, and this pack heat was just one obstacle towards bringing him back._

It was quite simple to get what he needed, in this neighbourhood where it was everyone for themselves, and being in no heroes’ territory meant that crimes were not stopped, not even by the police.

That meant that it took Tim some couple hundred bucks to get the good stuff. The kind of drugs that rapists use sometimes to make sure that their victims won’t wake up too early during the deed. A high enough dose will make sure to knock someone out for the night. But not high enough to instantly kill him. He knew how much he had to take – a few “overheard” conversations quickly told him that.

Once everything was done and bought, he went back to his hideout, and swiftly locked all doors, all windows. Any gaps that scent could leak through, he made sure to cover them with towels. The only ventilation he could afford to have was the tiny vent in the bathroom, which led to the roof and can quickly disperse. As a precaution, he had placed a lot of air fresheners and perfume at the vent. No one will be able to catch his scent.

Then he swallowed the pills and went into sweet _sweet_ unconsciousness.

Here’s the thing that they never mentioned about unsatisfied heats. It wasn’t as horrible as what people wanted the omegas to believe. Those were just propaganda to shame people for not having a partner during heats. Heats are commonly satisfied through sex, yes. But as long as you were having your usual heats without heat blockers, the consequences of unsatisfied heats were mild. One would feel unbelievably horny and hungry, and they would desire contact, sexual or not. So usually an omega that would go through heat but does not have a partner can opt to go through them alone with sex toys, or with pack members.

Here’s the thing that they never mentioned about unsatisfied _pack heat._ It was horrible, it was painful, and it was hell. Tim had gone through it once, and he went unconscious because of the pain.

The only thing Tim managed to avoid by using the drug that induced his unconsciousness was calling out for his pack. The pain and all the rest? He felt it for days.

But one good thing about this, was that once the pack heat was done, satisfied or not _it was done._

So Tim was only unconscious for 10 hours, was in pain for 48 hours, and then everything was good as new. And everything worked out fine – Dick and Alfred didn’t contact him, and that meant that they didn’t hear his calls.

Good. Tim didn’t need them anyway.


	5. The Fifth

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the longest chapter, and the last.
> 
> Thank you for reading, and for those who left kudos and/or commented, extra thanks and love!!

** Fifth **

Tim was _not_ having a good time right now.

Two months ago, he was close to seeing death as a relief, but since then Bruce returned, and it seemed like everything was well again. People who he thought was permanently gone came back, and life seemed significantly better than before.

Sure he left the Wayne manor and set up his own apartment somewhere else. Sure he wasn’t Robin anymore. But he was still proud of what he had become in such a devastating time, and he probably wouldn’t have done anything differently. He was still a part of the pack, even with the demon spawn here with them. As long as their pack alpha wanted him, here he will stay.

And the more he interacted with Damian, the more he understood why he was who he was. That wasn’t a good excuse for his behaviour towards people whom he thought didn’t deserve respect, but that was a good enough reason for Tim to be more tolerant towards Damian’s seemingly brattish behaviour. He could see that Dick was really trying to educate him on common politeness and respect, and sometimes Damian even listened.

Tim couldn’t help but pity the young pup, although he made damned sure that Damian didn’t notice. With such terrible conditions growing up, it was a wonder he was alive, let alone functional. He was raised by the _al Ghul’s,_ for God’s sake. That alone gave Damian a lot more sympathy points than Tim would’ve given.

Dick was… Dick. Apologetically non-apologetic. His elder brother tried to apologise, but ended up a little defensive over his own reasons when Tim asked a few pointing questions. The first few conversations ended pretty badly, and Tim was forced to retreat back to his own apartment to cool down. But they dealt with it. And by dealing with it, Tim meant that they never mentioned it again. It wasn’t healthy, but it was the only thing to do to avoid fights. Besides, Tim understood why Dick had done it, and even though he would like an apology, getting it from Dick seemed to be like pulling teeth with bare hands, and in the end Tim gave up.

They still worked well together, and that’s enough for now.

Bruce… It took him a while to fully heal from the damage brought by his trip back in time. Tim still shuddered when he thought about how if he was just a little late, Bruce would still be missing, alive but never to be found.

So far he was busy dealing with the issues that arose due to his disappearance and that Dick couldn’t handle. Tim suspected that that was the reason why his pack alpha hadn’t come and confronted him about the reason why he wasn’t living in the manor anymore. Until then, Tim would be quiet and stay at his apartment. No need to attract attention to himself more.

Because he was definitely attracting the wrong attention here, from Jason, or Red Hood. After Bruce returned, Jason went missing for a while, but now he had come back to Gotham, causing even more trouble.

He did reduce his killing streak, which Tim silently applaud for, but the rest of the family only see the number of deaths that are there, and not the decrease of that number. Which led them to remain antagonistic towards Jason.

As for Tim, well. He did try to kill him. So Tim stayed far away from Red Hood if he could help it.

So honestly, he didn’t know why he was here, in this situation.

The family was in the Batcave. And when he said the whole family, _he meant it,_ because a total of 8 people was in the cave, including him. Cass and Stephanie were unfortunately just caught in the crossfire, having stayed in the cave for some rest time after their own case was finished. The two girls were at the side with Alfred, who had just brought them some tea and biscuits to fill their empty stomachs.

Damian was at the training mat, minding his own business. He always did that when there’s conflict between pack members. Demonstrating that it didn’t affect him in anyway, and that his training was more important than anything else. But with a house filled with observant people, it wasn’t hard to notice that he was constantly biting at his lips to keep quiet, eyes darting around at each person to make sure he knew where they were standing.

Tim wasn’t even supposed to be here. He came by as Red Robin to pass some information he had gotten to Bruce before heading back home. He was tired, almost falling asleep at his feet – a few days with only two hours of sleep would do that to anybody. His left knee and left shoulder were twinging in pain due to a bad landing while defending himself against his enemies the other night. Not to mention that he was hungry, because crime waits for no man to fill his stomach before causing trouble. Although something felt a little off; it wasn’t anything seriously wrong, but it was still a little annoying.

All in all, Tim was a miserable man, and he wanted to go home and sleep his trouble away.

But when he arrived at the cave, he realised that Bruce and Dick weren’t here yet. His other siblings (and friend) were, and he had caught up with Cass and Stephanie for a while. He had just decided to input his findings into the Batcomputer and just leave when he could hear argument and yelling from the entrance to the cave.

‘- you never listen! I told you, I _didn’t hurt them,_ I only kill the ones that deserve it!’

‘And I would prefer you to not kill _at all!’_

Even without the voices, just the conversation alone clued Tim in on who they were. And sure enough, Red Hood and Batman stalked into the cave, with Nightwing behind them, there to make sure Red Hood didn’t escape.

Red Hood was limping slightly, but his anger managed to push him through walking all the way to where the rest of the pack were, at the centre of the cave. There, he stubbornly remained standing, leaning most of his weight on the other leg with his arms crossed.

It was obvious that all three of them were in a huge fight, with scratches and bruises and wounds all over them. Tim had known that Bruce was handling a case with Dick because they had heard that Red Hood was involved, and Bruce had wanted a chance to get to Jason, his long-thought-lost alpha son.

If anyone had asked Tim, Tim would bet a thousand dollars that it wouldn’t have ended well. And he would have been a thousand dollars richer if anyone took that bet.

The yelling and shouting had gotten more intense. Tim lost his attention on it purely due to self-preserving skills. Something about his pack members arguing with each other was rubbing him wrong. He would’ve hightailed it out of there if only they weren’t blocking the cave entrance where his bike was.

Behind him, talking between the two girls had stopped. If Tim turned back, he would see that Cass’ hands were on Steph’s shoulders, physically stopping the girl from getting up and demanding attention. That was the thing about Steph, if she can’t fix something, at least she would do anything to get it to stop, pause, while someone _else_ figured how to fix it.

But Cass’ attention wasn’t on the fighting men, she was focused on Tim. She was looking at the way Tim had hunched his back and flinching away whenever there was a particularly loud shout or noise. His body was angled towards the entrance of the cave, where she was sure he parked his bike. Up and ready to run, even though his eyes kept darting towards the two fighting alphas.

Cass caught Stephanie’s eyes, and then indicated towards Tim. The other girl raised an eyebrow over his responses.

‘Oh, he ain’t looking too good there…’ She whispered, and Cass nodded in agreement.

Both of them were getting ready for anything that was about to happen, because there was no doubt about it – something was definitely going to happen.

When the first high-pitched whine sounded, it was too soft to be audible.

The second one was much louder, and it attracted the attention of everyone to Tim, who had his hands covering his mouth.

Tim was trying to make himself as small as possible while still maintaining his standing position, but everyone here could see that he was more than prepared to run. But even as he kept his mouth tightly shut, somehow the whining sound continued. Upon seeing that he failed to avoid attention, Tim squeezed his eyes shut and squatted down, using his forearms to cover his face.

‘Tim?’ Dick, as usual, was the first to approach. They were both omegas, after all. And Dick had the advantage of knowing exactly what was happening. ‘Are you alright?’ Slowly he shifted so that he was beside his brother, making himself just as small as Tim was so that he wasn’t looming over him. The soft hand on his back made Tim freeze, then the shivering started.

‘Sorry, sorry. I… I didn’t mean to do that. I… Sorry, I’ll just go-‘ Before he could finish his sentence, the all-too-familiar pain flashed, and Tim involuntarily curled up with his arms around his stomach.

‘Aw Timmy,’ Dick started to purr the way older omegas do to the pups and younger omegas. ‘It’s alright, shhh. I got you.’ Wrapping his arms around Tim, Dick slowly rocked back and forth, the way he did when it was the last time Tim had his pack heat. He could recognise it by the way the whine was pulling at his heartstrings, at his soul. Dick purred at Tim, trying to keep him as calm as he could while Stephanie and Cassandra slowly made their way towards them. Damian was still at the training map a few feet away, but he was definitely affected by Tim, as can be seen by him staring, and him losing his hold on his weapons.

‘What the fuck is happening?’ He could hear Jason whispered harshly, his argument with Bruce forgotten as he watched the rest starting to approach Tim. Bruce was still where he was, split between both his sons. He knew who needed him the most though, so he started moving towards Tim, but paused to answer Jason’s question.

‘Tim is having a pack heat. Our argument triggered it.’ It was the most possible reason why this happened.

Always, when it came to him and Jason, their conversation, no matter how much good intention Bruce started with, always ends with an argument, and one of them stalking away in anger. Jason was always ready and prepared to be antagonistic the moment something didn’t go his way, and Bruce just lacked the social skills required to deal with these sorts of situations. Especially since it was Jason, his son whom he really cared about.

But for now, Tim was his priority. Even now, his whines hadn’t stopped, even amongst most of their pack already. Bruce had a feeling that Barbara had already hacked into his camera system to figure out what had happened. He glanced back at the group, with Tim in the middle being almost carried by Dick. The girls were crowding right beside Tim, holding his hand. Alfred was standing behind Dick, looking over his shoulders. Damian was a step away; his discomfort obvious with the way he was switching between glancing at Tim, and on the floor. The unpresented pup probably had no idea what was happening, but the omega call was too strong for him not to answer.

Just like how it was still pulling Bruce’s gaze towards the group. 

Like how it was pulling _Jason’s_ gaze towards the group.

‘What the fuck is a pack heat, and why do I feel like I should go and join the stupid hug-pile at the back?’

Bruce was surprised to feel unsurprised at that. But in his heart he already knew that Tim considered everyone here to be in his pack, including Jason. Actually, e _veryone_ considered Jason as pack, except Jason himself.

The young alpha probably thought that after his death he wasn’t considered part of the pack anymore, and especially since the first thing he did when he returned was to antagonise the whole pack. But it wasn’t true. He was still pack no matter what had happened, and Bruce struggled to make Jason believe him.

Bruce made his way to the group, and the girls moved away a little so he could reach Tim. The young omega was embarrassed, judging by his red face. But he was also still in pain, tears were at the corner of his eyes, and he had yet to wipe them away. Bruce did it for him, and cradled his face as he made sure there wasn’t anything else that was wrong.

‘Are you alright, Tim?’

From what Bruce know about pack heats, it can happen when two of the pack members are fighting, and stressing the omega out so much that the omega feels that the only way to fix it is to incite a pack heat. _But_ from what he knows about Tim, was that he hated pack heats, and would do anything to avoid them. Because he and Jason had argued in front of Tim multiple times, sometimes even worse than this current one, and all Tim did was to remove himself from the place so he won’t subconsciously trigger his pack heat.

Dick released Tim so he was standing on his own, but only for a few seconds. Next moment, he was grabbed and pressed onto Bruce’s chest. The younger one tried to struggle, but the scent of his pack alpha calmed him down, and the pain in his chest subsided a little.

‘I’m fine… I don’t know why this is happening now… I’m sorry-‘ Tim started mumbling as he tucked his face against Bruce’s exposed throat. Bruce hissed when his skin touched Tim’s forehead – Tim was definitely having a fever. Which could be the reason why he didn’t leave early when he and Jason were arguing. Bruce made a rumbling sound meant for comfort, while Dick crowded into their personal space feeling for Tim’s temperature.

None of them noticed Jason sneaking away to leave. Well, tried to. The moment Jason moved away from Tim, the omega in Bruce’s arms let out the most nervous and heart-wrenching cry. ‘Jason!’

‘What!’ Jason snapped, turning back to sneer at them? ‘I’m leaving, alright? Clearly this is a pack thing and I know damn well I’m not welcomed!’

Tim, eyes starting to glaze in the way people with a fever will, only whined and reached out with an arm, grabbing air. ‘Jason!’

The whining seemed to do the trick. Glaring at the rest of the pack as if daring them to stop him, Jason slowly made his way towards Tim. When he was within grabbing distance, Tim moved so fast even Bruce was taken by surprise.

Tim grabbed Jason by his jacket collar and hulled him towards him. Since he was still in the arms of his pack alpha, Jason and Bruce were in each other’s personal space. The first time ever since Jason’s death.

Then the purring started. ‘Pack. Always pack. No fighting.’ Saying that, Tim rubbed his cheek against Jason’s, then Bruce. ‘All pack. Need all of you.’ Scent-marking both of them, he wriggled out of Bruce’s arms, and went around each member of his pack and did the same thing to them.

Dick scent-marked him back with enthusiasm, Stephanie had a face of “what the fuck is happening I don’t understand but I am enjoying this” as Tim rubbed his cheek against hers. Cass only hummed in satisfaction. Alfred had to bend down so Tim could reach, but the soft smile on his face said a lot about what he felt. Damian huffed and spluttered at the affection, but he didn’t move away, and that said a lot about his opinion.

After the round, Tim whined. ‘Barbara…’

‘I’m here, brat. Don’t worry.’ Barbara appeared at the cave entrance, slowly moving towards them. When Tim bounded and slammed into her trying to scent-mark her, she only chuckled and held onto the clingy omega.

Jason was still standing beside Bruce and didn’t even notice, too entranced by how different Tim was. ‘What the fuck.’ He could only manage that as Dick made him way towards them.

From a little further away, Alfred had begun to move towards the manor. ‘I will begin preparation for the aftermath, then.’ When Tim noticed him leaving, the high-pitched whine made everyone wince.

‘Hush, young one. Bring your pack and go to Master Bruce’s bedroom, the pack will be able to fit there.’

It took Tim a few blinks before the words finally registered in him. Then he caught Bruce’s eye. ‘Alpha?’ He asked hesitantly, and it was all Bruce could do not to have his heart broken by such tentative and careful tone. He would do _everything_ to make sure Tim never feel so uncertain around him again. Or at least, he will _try._

‘Of course, Tim.’ Before Tim could move away, Bruce had him up into a princess carry in his arms, and was already heading back to the manor. The newer members of the pack who had never seen Tim having a pack heat before stay back a little, until Tim noticed that they weren’t following.

‘Pack? Pack coming?’

Bruce hushed him, rubbing his chin on Tim’s head. ‘Yes, sweetheart, they’re coming.’ The tense gaze towards each and everyone of them spoke of threats if they didn’t follow. And so they did, the girls whispering among themselves as Barbara explained what was going on with Tim.

She may not have been there for Tim’s pack heats before, but she felt the call multiple times. This was her first time actually being with Tim during his pack heat, though. She was prepared to get to the cave when she realised that even Dick wasn’t able to stop the fight between Batman and Red Hood before they entered the cave. The way Tim had behaved while there only gave her incentives to go there faster.

Damian was following them, a little closer than he usually would. The young pup was listening to Barbara’s explanation.

Dick lingered behind with Jason, who was staring intently at Bruce’s back, and the smaller figure in his arms. Jason wasn’t moving, though.

‘Jason?’

‘I should go. Don’t wanna interrupt pack plans.’

Dick was so tempted to smack him he dug his nails into the palm of his hands. ‘Jason. One of our omegas explicitly said that he wanted you in as our pack. He went into _pack heat_ because you and B were arguing. Omegas go into pack heat when two of _their pack members_ are fighting and stressing them out. If you aren’t in the same nest as Tim later, he will go through this pack heat like the ones he had had previously – unsatisfied and in pain.’

Jason curled up into himself a little, but when you’re of his size it was obvious. ‘Nah, he. I tried to kill him. No one should- He shouldn’t see me as pack.’

Dick couldn’t think of anything to convince him otherwise, because honestly, he had the same thought too. Before this, he would have thought that Tim see Jason as just another vigilante. Dick and Bruce definitely see Jason as still part of their pack, but considering that one of Tim’s pack heat before was _due to Jason’s attempt in killing him,_ Dick would have questioned it.

But he had no question now. Tim had deemed Jason to be a part of their pack, and so Jason was. It’s simple, but hard to word out for someone who never encountered pack heats before.

(Sometimes Dick would be amazed by how much his family knew about pack heat because of Tim. For others, pack heat was just something of a myth, something that omegas are reported to do, but it was so rare that most people will go through life without even heard about pack heat.)

Dick opened his mouth to try anyway to convince Jason, but before he could do that, there was a slight scuffle at the manor entrance.

‘Tim!’ They could hear Steph’s exclamation, and Dick snapped his attention there.

Tim had, upon noticing that Jason wasn’t following them, tried to crawl his way out of Bruce’s arms. Holding him still was a little like wrangling a slippery fish actively trying to escape, but amazingly Bruce managed to not let go of Tim.

Even from far, Dick could see that Tim _was not doing well._ He was fully leaning on Bruce’s arms to keep him upright, which normal Tim would never do. His stressed scent, normally masked by scent-masking patches, were all over the cave. And Tim only whined when he’s in so much pain, or he’s in pack heat.

‘Jason!’ Tim was looking back at Bruce’s shoulders, hand reaching out for the young alpha. The yearning in his voice broke Dick’s heart, and he swore that if Jason’s still not coming with them, he’ll drag him there.

But thankfully, it got Jason to start moving towards Tim, as if in a trance. Seeing that he was actually going to join them, Bruce started him way back, and the rest of the pack followed. Dick was the last one, and he made sure to lock everything up before joining his pack in Bruce’s bedroom.

When Dick reached Bruce’s bedroom he could see that everyone had settled in, with Tim in the centre of the bed. Everyone had at least one limb touching Tim. Alfred already had a chair beside the bed, his Englishmen attitude refusing to let him sleep on the same bed as the masters, but yet here he was, all the same.

Cass and Barbara were snuggling each other at the end of the bed. Cass was almost hugging Tim’s leg. Barbara was behind her, being her bigger spoon, but she reached out to have her palm against the same leg Cass was resting against.

Beside Tim’s other leg was Damian, who while wearing a frown upon his face, but was also already relaxed enough that he was blinking twice more than normal, a sign that he was sleepy. That, and he was actually using Tim’s thigh as a pillow. Behind Damian was Steph, who had to stretch her arm to get to Tim, and in the process actually having a pseudo-hug with Damian. Dick never realized that both of them were close enough for Damian to not kick up a fuss.

Dick looked up towards the top of the bed, and smirked. Almost laughed, but he was sure if he was heard that something will fly across to hit him in the face. But it was just something that he never thought would have happened ever since they realized that Red Hood was Jason.

Tim was grabbing their arms, Bruce on Tim’s right and Jason on Tim’s left. Obviously not going to deny their omega anything, the two alphas did what Tim wanted – to stay close to him. In that process, both of them were actually quite close to each other.

Jason’s scent was carefully dulled; other than his natural identifying scent, he didn’t smell of any strong emotions that scent usually betrays. Bruce, on the other hand, was more focused on the omega-in-need, his pack alpha rearing up in answer to Tim’s calls. The whole room smelt of Bruce and _safe_ and _pack_ and _home._

Dick spied an empty space beside Jason (Jason may have grown _a lot,_ but he still needed some growing compared to Bruce), and he squished himself there. Everyone on the bed (except Bruce, who rolled his eyes, and Alfred, laughing with his eyes) groaned as they shifted to accommodate another person on the already cramped bed. When they all settled, Dick was in contact with both Jason and Tim.

Tim, the poor little sick thing, was already asleep, purring away. His hands were still on both Bruce’s and Jason’s though, as if he knew that either of them would move further away from each other if they had the chance.

Dick pressed a kiss on Tim’s shoulder, the one part of him he could reach, and purred with him. He wouldn’t deny it – the fact that both members in his pack were fighting was enough to stress him out too. And if the fight had gone on longer, he would have interrupted them, get them to cool off individually. Dick knew that would only stave off the fight until next time (past experiences as evidence), so. No matter how much Tim was suffering, because he was definitely suffering (no omega goes into pack heat willy-nilly, and Dick _knew_ Tim hated it), he was really thankful that it had happened.

Forcing Bruce and Jason to be in the same room for hours, and being so close to each other too, plus having the whole pack here so they can’t have their usual argument, will hopefully finally make them get along.

It’s what Tim wanted, after all.

Tim woke up, feeling remarkably good. Actually, it was the best he had ever felt for a very long time. The last time he was this relaxed and comfortable in his skin was the last time he had his pack heat, where he was cuddled by Dick and Bruce…

Oh my god did he have another pack heat _again?_

‘Fuck.’

‘Language.’ Was grumbled behind him making Tim flinch in surprise. He turned a little to look into Bruce’s eyes. Or rather his half-closed eyes. ‘Good morning, Tim.’

‘Morning.’ Tim replied in a whisper. ‘I had a pack heat again, didn’t I?’ But he didn’t need any confirmation – even now, his inner omega was purring at just how much he felt _at home,_ because his pack was all here. He kept his eyes on his pack alpha, but he could feel his pack keeping physical contact with him.

‘Yes. You should have told us you were feeling under the weather, Tim. You were having a fever.’ Bruce blinked a few times to wake himself up a little more. Slowly he reached and touched his forehead with the back of his hand, and then cupping his neck (Bruce’s favourite comforting gesture towards his pack members).

‘Sorry.’

‘Don’t be. You’ve done us all a huge favour, Timmy.’ Dick’s voice floated from behind him, making him startle. He was suddenly aware that there were a pair of arms around his waist and pressure at his back. Someone was spooning him while he was using Bruce as a body pillow. He first assumed it was Dick, but his voice sounded like it came from the lower end of the bed. So who’s behind him? Large arms, so probably not one of the girls, and not Damian either.

There’s only one answer, but Tim’s brain cannot comprehend it. Until he was forced to, when the person behind him woke up with an annoyed growl.

‘Shut up, people are trying to sleep here.’

Tim’s wide eyes met Bruce’s exasperated ones, who only rumbled his _comforting my pack_ noise to calm any fights before they could happen. His uncertainty translated into his scent, which was quick to spread.

He felt Jason nosing at his hair. ‘Stop thinking. This is all your fault, so you have to bear this. I would’ve left hours ago if it wasn’t for you, Replacement.’ Jason grumbled, but there was a tint of something soft behind his tone. Jason snuggled closer, his arms tightened slightly as he seemed to drift back to sleep.

Bruce was smiling in front of him, glancing behind Tim to Jason. His pack alpha then moved towards Tim, his arm around him and over to Jason, pulling them closer. His _pleased_ rumble became even more pronounced, triggering Tim’s answering purrs. This seemed to set off a chain reaction throughout the whole pack, even towards those deep asleep.

‘Go to sleep. We’ll be here when you wake up again later.’ Bruce whispered to Tim, who obediently closed his eyes.

The last thing he heard was a soft ‘thank you Tim’ from his pack alpha, but if anyone asked, he wouldn’t say a thing.

This was the first time he had his whole pack together with him, but it wouldn't be the last.

**Author's Note:**

> Chapters will be short because I wanted to try out how to publish chapters here. But I'll get them up one chapter per day. 
> 
> Thanks for reading!
> 
> This was supposed to be 5 times + interlude + 1 time, but so far I've only finished the 5 times. I don't know when I'll get the rest of it done, but for now enjoy this instead! <3


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